U.S. patent number 4,399,647 [Application Number 06/289,052] was granted by the patent office on 1983-08-23 for motorized lawn-mower, provided with a rigid cut grass collecting vessel, including a removable bag.
Invention is credited to Teodoro Soldavini.
United States Patent |
4,399,647 |
Soldavini |
August 23, 1983 |
Motorized lawn-mower, provided with a rigid cut grass collecting
vessel, including a removable bag
Abstract
The present invention relates to a motorized lawn-mower,
provided with a rigid cut grass collecting vessel, including a
removable bag. The lawn-mower comprises a discharging duct thereto
there is coupled the collecting vessel, as provided with a grid
member for the outflow of the cut grass conveying air stream, by
means of double-hinge members. To a wing portion of these latter
there is articulated the grid member which is thus effective to be
removed and moved away from the vessel. Thus in the vessel a bag
may be fitted, being made of a plastics or flexible material, and
the top edge or rim portion thereof is turned over on the mouth of
the vessel. The cut grass, upon discharging from the lawn-mower, is
able of being collected by the bag, which can be easily closed and
removed from the vessel.
Inventors: |
Soldavini; Teodoro
(20062-Cassano D'Adda, (Milano), IT) |
Family
ID: |
11212057 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/289,052 |
Filed: |
July 31, 1981 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Aug 12, 1980 [IT] |
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24117 A/80 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
56/202 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01D
43/063 (20130101); A01D 34/63 (20130101); A01D
2101/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A01D
43/063 (20060101); A01D 43/00 (20060101); A01D
34/63 (20060101); A01D 035/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;220/404,334
;56/202 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hafer; Robert A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bucknam and Archer
Claims
I claim:
1. In a lawn mower having a cut grass collector box having an open
end for receiving cut grass, a screen supported at said open end of
the collector box and apertured to allow entry of cut grass into
the collector box but to hold back cut grass accumulated in the
collector box, the improvement which comprises hinge means
connected to said collector box and to said screen, said hinge
means being spaced apart from said collector box along a region
thereof bordering the open end of the collector box to thereby
allow the folding back along said region of the open edge portion
of an opened grass collector bag inserted into the collector box,
said hinge means being comprised of first and second members, one
of said members being attached to said collector box, and the other
said member being attached to said screen, said screen being
disposed for insertion into the open end of the collector box to
hold back therein said accumulated cut grass, said first and second
members having hook-shaped portions allowing the collector box and
screen to be hung together along a common support with one of said
first and second members hooked shaped portion in underlying
relation to the other.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As it is known for the maintenance jobs or the grass surfaces of
gardens and the like suitable machines are used which are generally
called "lawn-mowers".
These machines, which operates near the ground in such a way as to
cut grass at a small height therefrom, are provided with a shaped
shell, or casing, encompassing a rotating assembly, of
substantially disk shape and provided with blades, and directly or
indirectly driven by a suitable motor, of the inner combustion or
electric type.
From said rotating assembly there extends a discharging duct
spirally encompassing said casing periphery and tangentially
extending therefrom to lead to the outside.
The grass, in fact, is conveyed through said discharging duct by
the air stream as generated by the rotation of said blade assembly,
acting as the impeller of a centrifugal blower.
On the other hand, the cut grass has to be removed from the ground,
since it would prevent a suitable aeration with a consequent
decreasing of the growing characteristics thereof.
Due to this reason the lawn-mowers are preferably provided with a
vessel, locaed at the discharging opening thereof, to collect
therein the cut grass.
Said vessel is generally formed by a rigid basket effective to be
coupled to the shell or casing of the lawn-mower, to be carried
along thereby.
On the other hand, the conventional baskets, upon removing from the
latching members thereof, are to be emptied and the contents
thereof is to be discharged at a desired position by means of a
turning over operation.
Accordingly the grass can be collected at the most convenient
positions, but successively it has to be collected again for
transporting away from the grass surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aforesaid practical drawback is eliminated by the motorized
lawn-mower, provided with a suitable rigid vessel, either due to
the charactristics of the material forming said vessel or due to
the provision of a frame effective to support the material forming
the walls of said vessel effective to collect the cut grass,
according to the present invention.
In fact the subject vessel comprises cantilever latching means
effective to allow for a plastics material or flexible material bag
to be fitted in the inside of said vessel, by suitably anchoring
the top of said bag on said vessel top edge.
Accordingly, as the aforesaid bag has been filled with cut grass,
it may be closed, upon having removed the top whereof from the
vessel mouth, and easily removed.
Owing to this solution, the cut grass is practically left on the
grass surface or outside therefrom in an already packaged
condition, and thus ready to be quickly removed.
More specifically the motorized lawn-mower according to the
invention comprises a substantially rigid vessel for collecting the
cut grass as conveyed suspended in an air stream.
Said vessel is completely closed, with the exception of a vertical
side whereof, in particular a head portion whereof, the contour of
whiich is effective to define the maximum cross-section of its
inside space and greatly exceeds, at least in width and preferably
also in height, the outlet cross-section of the duct therethrough
the grass is conveyed as suspended in the air stream.
The head portion of that same vessel, as this latter is in its
operative condition, is facing said duct, in such a way as to
broadly encompass the mouth thereof.
Furthermore, between the vessel head portion and the corresponding
head portion of the lawn mower there is interposed a grid member,
or an air permeable means, hardly to be traversed by the grass.
Said grid member is so located as to occupy the portions
encompassed by the head of the vessel, but outside of those of the
duct mouth, in such a way that the cut grass can be projected into
said vessel, while air is discharged to the outside, through said
grid, in a direction which is essentially opposite to the inlet
direction.
Furthermore in front of said grid, and outside therefrom, there are
provided means, in particular but not necessarily associated to the
casing, or shaped shell or said lawn-mower, to downwardly deflect,
at the duct mouth sides, the air stream flowing through the
openings of said grid.
This latter is povited to the vessel by means of shaped hinges, as
cantilever-wise mounted on a wall of said vessel.
Owing to this approach, the vessel edge or mouth is a free one and
accordingly it is able of receiving the turned over top rim or edge
of a plastics material bag as inserted into said vessel for
collecting the cut grass.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other characteristics, of constructional and functional
nature, of the motorized lawn-mower, according to the present
invention, will become more apparent from the figures of the
accompanying drawings, relating to a preferred though not exclusive
embodiment of said lawn-mower and where:
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective rear view of the lawn-mower
according to the invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates the vessel in the latching position thereof to
the casing or shell of that same lawn-mower;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating that same lawn-mower free
of said vessel;
FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating the mouth of the cut-grass
conveying air stream discharging duct, as encompassed by evacuated
air-flow deflecting means;
FIG. 5 illustrates that same vessel from the opening side thereof,
as coupled to the grid member encompassing the mouth of said
discharging duct;
FIG. 6 illustrates the procedure for latching the grid to the
vessel;
FIG. 7 is a partial view illustrating that same vessel, the grid
thereof being upwardly turned over; and
FIG. 8 is another perspective view illustrating the vessel with the
grid upwardly turned over.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With particular reference to the numbers of the several figures of
the accompanying drawings, the motorized lawn-mower according to
the present invention comprises, according to a known
constructional approach, a structure (1), mainly formed by the same
shaped shell, or casing, of the cutting rotating assembly (not
shown), provided with suitable bearing wheels (2), and associated
to a handle bar (3) for driving and guiding the machine.
The rotating assembly is driven, for example, by a small engine
(4), the position thereof can be any, (for example in the case of
directly driven lawn-mowers) and the rotation thereof, in addition
to carry out the cutting of grass, on the underlying ground, is
effective to generate an air stream or flow.
This air flow is directed into a scroll (5), formed by said casing
(or structurally separated) and ending with an outlet tangential
duct (6), the mouth (7) thereof opens at the rear head vertical
portion (8) of said structure (1).
Said vessel, or basket, (9), for collecting the cut grass, is
located and supported in such a way as to positioned, as the
machine is in its operative condition, in front of said head
portion (8) and on the extension on the duct (6).
Said vessel, which is made of a metal or preferably plastics
material, or other suitble material, is completely closed at the
walls thereof (side, rear, upper and lower walls), but completely
open at the front face thereof (10), located in front or the
aforesaid head portion (8).
To that same vessel (9) there is coupled a perforated disphragm,
more specifically a grid, (11), effective to be upwardly turned
over, said grid being open at the portion (12) thereof encompassing
the mouth (7) of the duct (6) and occupying, accordingly, only that
portion of the area encompassed by the open head (10), but
encompassing said mouth (7).
The casing head (8) is furthermore provided, at the portions
thereof encompassing said mouth, with transversal and vertical
recesses (14), downwardly open and effective to deflect to the
ground the air flow which backflows through said grid (11).
This latter is pivoted to the vessel (9) by means of bent hook
members (15), in turn pivoted to corresponding angled brackets
(16), as cantilever-wise fixed (FIG. 6) on the wall of said vessel,
in such a way as to leave free a peripherical portion thereof.
Owing to this approach it is possible to engage the turned over top
portion or edge (17) of a generic plastics material bag, effective
to package the cut grass, with the mouth of the vessel, by means of
a simple manual operation.
The structure of said grid (11), moreover, projects with respect to
a continuous perimetrical frame (18), in such a way as to be able
of inserting between the walls of said vessel, by rotating about
the pivoting axes (19) whereof.
Said rotation, in particular, brings the bent hook members (15) to
lay with the concave portion thereof facing downwardly (FIGS. 2 and
5), thereby said hook members are effective to engage from the top
on a bar or rod member (20), carried by the rear head portion of
said casing
To said bar or rod member (20), furthermore, there is pivoted a
substantially triangular prismatic structure (21), open at the
bottom and toward said rear head of the casing and provided with
side handles effective to facilitate the turning over of said
structure, upwardly.
That same structure is provided, at the lower edge thereof, with a
flap (22), made of a flexible material, effective to act as a rear
holding member for the cut grass, as the lawn-mower is used without
said vessel (9).
As this latter is used, on the other hand, said structure overlies
(as it is shown in FIG. 1) said vessel.
The vessel, moreover, is provided, preferably at the portion
thereof opposite to its open head portion, with a geometrically
rounded configuration and with an upper handle.
From the above description and the observation of the several
figures of the accompanying drawings, there are self-evident the
great functionality and use facility characterizing the motorized
lawn-mower according to the present invention.
Obviously, since the subject lawn-mower has been thereinabove
described and illustrted only by way of an indicative and not
limitative example, and only to demonstrate some application
possibilities of the inventive concept, it should be pointed out
that said lawn-mower can be realized and industrially producted by
carrying out several different constructional solutions, without
departing from the scope of the present invention.
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